KARACHI, July 26: An estimated 0.95 million files documenting different cases and other court documents may be damaged or destroyed because of insufficient arrangements in the record room of the City Courts, Karachi.

According to sources in the court, many files have already been destroyed by insects, against which no effective measures are in place. Expressing the fear that a major chunk of the court records will be lost completely, they said that it is surprising that there are no arrangements for putting the data on microfilm or categorising it on computer. At the moment, they said, some half a dozen staff members man the record room and most of them are untrained in library sciences.

The importance of these threatened records can be gauged from the fact that appeals in the higher judiciary are based on earlier decisions of the lower courts’ decision, which are recorded in these files. Damage to this record translates to the loss of court records and a serious blow to all stakeholders, including the state.

The City Courts’ record room lacks proper furniture and files are heaped on the floor instead of being stored systematically in racks or filing cabinets. Sources say that duplicate copies of cases and court records are provided to lawyers and other parties upon request.

The record room’s single hall is also in a dilapidated condition and clearly does not have the space to house 0.95 million files in any sort of systematic manner. However, court sources say that neither the authorities not the bar associations appear concerned about the issue.

Mohammed Aslam, who is in charge of the record room, said that his team is facing difficulties in maintaining court records because of the lack of space, furniture and staff. He agreed that pest-control measures were urgently needed.

SM Ramzan Khan, who was present, also expressed dismay over the record room’s condition and pointed out the need to expand and modernise its functioning. – PPI